Twenty WWII spitfire fighters discovered in Burma

Holy moly guacamole, this is awesome!

A British farmer spent 15 years and a metric buttload of money to look for the stalwart planes and finally managed to locate them in an underground bunker in Burma. Apparently, the British buried them there near the end of the war both because they were obsolete and to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Japanese. Another thing that's interesting is that the planes were never taken out of the crates they were shipped over in.

...Of course, enthusiasts of WW2 “Warbirds,” military history buffs and action figure collectors are all equally excited about this stunning discovery, especially after learning that yes, the buried planes were still INSIDE their shipping crates, tarred, lubed and sealed up tight.

This find is pretty important because the number of working Spitfires in the world is only 35, so these twenty will go a long way towards ensuring their survival. Spitfires are an important part of not just British history, but world history. These are the planes that helped defend England during the Blitz and fought the forces of Fascism in Europe and Asia. Plus, they're just pretty to look at. Pre-jet engine military aircraft have an elegance and beauty that their successors their lack.

h/t to The Joe Report and The Lair of the Evil DM.